Pearce recall: Senate GOP searches for new leader

Senate Republicans meet this morning to choose a new leader, while county elections officials sort out more than 3,200 ballots from Tuesday's historic recall election.

Senators at the closed-door meeting, including Sen.-elect Jerry Lewis, will choose between three top contenders vying to replace Russell Pearce as the next president.

Lewis led Pearce by more than 1,600 votes among about 20,000 cast in west Mesa's District 18.

Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell said counting would resume today and should be finished by noon Friday.

Most of the uncounted ballots were mail-in ballots dropped off at the polls on Election Day. But 943 were so-called provisional ballots cast at county polling sites, an unusually high number, Purcell said.

Those ballots may have been cast by people whose names or addresses didn't match the voter rolls, or who had already voted by mail, which would disqualify their vote at the polls.

Once the election results are certified by the county recorder and approved by the Board of Supervisors, they will be submitted to the Secretary of State's Office. The official canvass by the secretary of state, the governor and the attorney general is expected to take place Nov.21.

Pearce's campaign said he was conceding the race even with thousands of ballots outstanding.

"People were confused about the concession speech," campaign spokesman Ed Phillips said of Pearce's public comments Tuesday night. "He said the numbers don't look good. I think the unsaid was, all the remaining votes out there can't make up the difference."

While Pearce took the day to consider his future, the three likely candidates for the top leadership job -- Majority Leader Andy Biggs of Gilbert, Majority Whip Steve Pierce of Prescott and Steve Yarbrough of Chandler -- counted their votes.

To be elected, a senator needs a simple majority of the chamber's 21 Republicans, which could take two or three secret ballots as it did when Pearce was elected.